Removable bridgework attachment



Mar. 27, 1923. 1,449,631

I. STERN REMOVABLE BRIDGEWORK ATTACHMENT Fil ed Dec. 5, 1920.

amvewtoz Isadore ,Sfe/"n Patented Mar. 27, 1923.

' ISIDORE STERN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

REMOVABLE BRIDGEWOBK ATTACHMENT.

Application filed December 3, 1920. Serial No. 427,936.

To all whom it may concemt:

Be it known that I, Isroonn STERN, aicitizen of the United States, residing at New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Removable Bridgework Attachments, of which the following is a specification.

especially to removable bridge-work; and more particularly it relates to adjustable removable bridge-work attachments- An object of this invention is to produce a novel and improved removable bridge;- work attachment which may .be adjusted to take up wear, occasioned thru continued use with removal and replacement, so that v the bridge will remain infirm position in ones mouth.. f f

It is likewise an object to produce anattachment for removable denture which may be adjusted throughthe agency of a. suitable pressing or adjusting tool so theattachment may be adjusted by the wearer to refit the bridge attachment into the mouth so that alllooseness and play is eliminated.

In producing the bridge-work attachment as embodied in-this'invention, I have in mind the attachment design disclosed in my copending application for patent filed No- ,vember 8, 1920, and.identified'under Serial Number 422,653 in the United States Patent Ofiice; and it is an object to produce v an attachment' of similarcharacter and advantages but somewhat distinguished in construction. a The advantages of removable bridge-work lie in the fact that the bridge may be so constructed and placed 'in the mouth that adequate relative movement may take place between the bridge-work attachment itself and the sound teeth, pier or abutment teeth .acting as points of support, that the disadvantages of immovable and fixed bridge work is overcome; and furthermore the bridge may be removedto be cleaned which maintains the parts in more sanitary conditionthan heretofore possible with the old style fixed bridgepermanently mounted in the mouth.

Referring to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, Figure l showsa plan view of a dental bridge-with my improved attachments anchored thereto, with This invention relates to dentistry and an adjusting tool placedin position over one of the attachments and made ready for the adjusting operation; I c

Figure 2 shows three projections-of the attachment namely, a front, sideyand bottom view. I V 1 "Figure 3 shows a perspective view of. the attachment in position ready to slide into a tubular socket forming part of the dental device.

Figure 4 shows a plan view of a bridge, or artificial tooth as sometimescalled, with the improved attachments soldered, welded or otherwise made'an integral part-thereof; and in this view the attachments havebeen acted on by an adjusting toolto the extent that they are slightly bent or distorted in order to effect a close and tight fit into the tubular socket.

Referring further to thedrawings for a more detailed descriptionof the invention, there is shown a metal device having a general Tshaped cross section form; and this device or attachment comprises a shank 6 proJecting from a web 7 having parallel bead-edges or cylindrical edges The shank 6 is made longer or broader than actually used, but is cutdown when soldered to a bridge. The bead-edges aremade cylindrical or round. and JsIightlyH larger .or greater in dlameter than the thickness of the web 7; but 1' donot limitmyself to this particular designfor indeed the attachment ting the bead-edges androunding off the edgesof the web or leaving them finished square or flat. However'there is an inherent advantage in the cylindrical bead-edges as later explained. I V; I

A bridge 9 is built up 'ofeither porcelain or gold, as known to those.conversant with the art, and hastwo attachments anchored may be practicallybuilt and used by omitthereto as shown. This bridge is removably H mounted in the mouth and held by the .attachments disposed-in the sockets as is-usual with bridge-work of the removable class.-

A socket 10 is made the countergpart of the attachment, and has thetubular sockets 11 to receive the bead-edges 8 of theattachment. The socket is made open down one wall thereof, as designated by 12, to receive the shank. This socket is usually embedded.

in an inlay which in. turn is anchored to sound teeth acting as points of support. The manner of preparing the points-of sup port and fitting in the sockets is known to those skilled in the art and is therefore not set forth in detail herein.

It is understood from the foregoing description just how the attachment registers with and tightly fits into the socket 10; and it is a known fact with users of this class of device that constant removal and replacement of the bridge-work will wear the attachment parts to such an extent that looseness becomes apparent and thereafter the bridge is somewhat unsatisfactory. To overcome this trouble of looseness is one of the objects of my invention, and accordingly my attachment is so constructed. that it may be reformed or distorted in shape, by a suitable pressing or adjusting tool, so that it may be adjusted from time to time and thus made to more firmly fit into the socket to avoid undue looseness or the possibility of falling out of ones mouth.

One suitable form adjusting tool comprises ahandle 15 joined to a body portion 14, and the body is made with hooks 16 which leaves an opening thru the body similar in size and shape to the attachment. The tool may therefore be placed upon the attachment as shown in Figure 1 with the hooks 16 reaching around the cylindrical bead-edges 8. A screw 1'? forms part of the tool and is adapted to press and clamp against the web 7 centrally between the edges thereof. The screw is provided with a knurled thumb-piece or hand-whee1 18 so that the clamp screw. 17 may be forcibly driven against the attachment for the purposes. herein described.

In the use of the tool, 1 5 in connection with the dental attachment, the tool is placed. over theattachment with the hooks 16 engaging the bead-edges. The screw is then turned .unti'l considerable pressure is exerted against the web 7 whereby the hooks 16 draw outwardly on the bead-edges to slightly distort and bend the web, leaving it in a reformed and curved shape as shown in Figure 4. Considerable curvature is imparted to the webs 7 of the two attachments constituting a part of the bridge 9 as shown in Figure 4. This curvature is given the attachments by proper use of the tool 15. The bridge after slight reformation of the attachments 7 is ready for replacement in the mouth; and the attachments now fit very tightly into'the socket 10 by virtue of the distorted shape imparted to the bridge parts 7.

An important result attained by the use of this dental bridge attachment is the avoidance of what is usually known as point contact of the two fitting parts. In the case of adental bridge-work attachment not having the roundor cylindrical beadedges 8, it would be practically impossible to distort the web 7 without leaving a: point contact only between the attachment and the tubular socket part; and this is true because the distorted web 7 when inserted in the tube would touch the socket only in points. web 7 is finished on the edges thereof with a cylindrical formation, this difiiculty does not exist because the cylindrical wall of the bead-edge will frictionally engage more tightly the interior wall of the socket, thereby avoiding point contact. In other words, the distortion of the web 7 slightly displaces the cylindrical edges 8 which causes said edges to take up a new and closer position relatively with the tubular parts 11 of the socket, and though I have shown one preferred form of construction, I do not limit myself thereto, but claim a right of protection as to obvious changes which come within the scope of my invention.

This form of dental attachment for use in connection with removable bridge-work overcomes the disadvantages of looseness and poor fitting of parts so common in that class of dentistry.

Havin described the construction and use of the devices constituting my invention what I desire to claim and secure by Letters Patent is- 1. A removable bridge work attachment comprising a T-shaped device having opposed edges, said opposed edges being round in form to approximate the shape of a 0ylindrical body.

2. A removable bridge work attachment constructed in the form of a T, and parallel cylinders integrally formed ontheattachment.

3. A removable bridge-work attachment and socket therefor, comprising a shank by which the attachment is anchored to a bridge, a web made on the shank, cylindrical bead-edges formed on the web, and a socket made the counterpart; of the attachment to receive said. attachment.

4. A denture attachment for removable bridgework of the class employing a socket made in pier teeth to support the bridge, comprising a rectangular web, and a; plurality of cylinder-like bead edges formedon the web, said attachment adapted to have said edges adjusted to produce a snug fit between the attachment and socket, and a shank made on the web by which the attachment is anchored to a bridge.

5. A denture attachment to fit into a pier tooth socket, comprising a Webhavingparallel edges, a cylinder-like bead edge made on each parallel edge, and a shank integrally formed with the web.

6. A denture attachment to fit into a. socket, comprising a pair of cylinders, a web interposed between and integrally formed with the cylinders, and a socket member comprising a straight sided receptacle to re- In the present design where the ceive the web and round tubular receptacles to receive the cylinder.

7. A dental bridge attachment for removable dentures, comprising a socket member which has tubular receptacles, a shank by which the attachment is anchored to a bridge, a web attached to the shank and adapted to fit into the socket member, cylindrical edge formations made on the web and being adapted to fit into the tubular receptacles of the socket, the said Web so constructed and having such adaptations as to provide for slight distortion in the shape thereof so that the cylindrical edges will more tightly fit and grip the tubular socket receptacles to take up for wear of parts and provide a denture of increased utility.

8. A dental bridge attachment for removable dentures, comprising a socket member having parallel tubular receptacles, a shank by which the attachment is anchored to a bridge, a web attached to the shank and adapted to fit into the socket, and rounded cylinder-like edges made in parallel relation on the web and adapted to fit into the tubular receptacles, the attachment adapted to have the web thereof slightly distorted attachment is anchored to a bridge, a web made on the shank to fit into the socket,

cylindrically formed edges made on the web to fit into the receptacles of the socket, and the said web being capable of slight curved reformation to compensate for Wear whereby the web and edges thereof take up a new surface contact position within the socket.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my hand this 29th day of November, 1920. v

ISIDORE STERN. 

